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I started modeling again after a 35+ year hiatus. Got my stash of kits out of the attic and went to work. Mostly 1/48 and 1/72 WWII fighters plus some modern jets.
I flew fighters in the Air Force (F-111 and A-10) for twenty years and then flew for American Airlines for twenty-two years (Boeing 727/757/767 and Fokker F-100). Now I'm retired and living in the DFW area.

Santa Fe Airways Sky Chief Acoma

My wife comes from a Santa Fe Railroad family. Many of her family members worked for the railroad or were Harvey Girls in the famous Fred Harvey restaurants that served the lines’ passengers. One day about a year ago, I saw a decal sheet [...]

Special Hobby 1/48 McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

Edwin Schoch was a WWII Naval aviator and later test pilot for McDonnell aviation. He was the only pilot to ever fly the XF-85 Goblin during its short test program. He was later killed testing an F2H Banshee. My wife is a novelist and we [...]

HobbyBoss 1/48 Blohm & Voss Bv 141

HobbyBoss 1/48 Blohm & Voss Bv 141B-02(V10) My oldest son gave me this kit last Christmas. He is a graphic artist and has a penchant for “eccentric” vehicles. He thought I’d find it a fun build…and he was right. This is one of [...]

When "Perfect" is the enemy of "Good Enough"...

Normally, I spend about 2-3 months on most of my builds. This seems fair for the amount of detail, workmanship, and the research I put into my work. That said, my build of Eduard’s 1/48 MiG-21 PFL has taken me over eight months…and is [...]

Shelf of Doom

Shelf of Doom: Eduard 1/48 Spitfire Mk IXc This kit has been on my “Shelf of Doom” for about three years. I completed it in response to Roy Sutherland’s “Shelf of Doom” group build challenge on the Barracuda Studios Ready Room [...]

“Dorrie R” and Capt Jerry Yellin…The Last Fighter Pilot

I first met my late friend, Jerry Yellin, in September 2009 at the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) convention in Orlando, FL. I was there with my wife, Kathy (kathleenmrodgers.com) who was receiving an award for her first novel, [...]

Airfix 1/48 Spitfire Mk Vb

With this build, I continue my “love affair” with the Polish expatriate pilots of RAF 303 Sqdn (Poland) and their service to the U.K. during WWII. Following the Battle of Britain, and over time, the unit transitioned to various models [...]

F-86 Egg Plane

I just finished this little beauty for my youngest grandson, Colton, who will be two next month. It is the Hasegawa kit but I took some "liberty" by putting his name on it. Vallejo metallics over Tamiya gloss black primer. Kit [...]

Hurricane Mk I, Sqdn Ldr Witold Urbanowicz

Christmas of 2003, my oldest son gave me the book, “A Question of Honor, The Kosciuszko Squadron” by Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud. It was an eye opener, to say the least. I have been an avid follower of WWII aviation history since I [...]

Academy 1/72 F-8E

A friend sent me this kit and I will be mailing him the result in a few days. I decided to try a “quick” build for a change but still add as much detail as was reasonable. My usual builds take 2-3 months but I completed this one in two [...]